They started as a trickle and we thought we could simply ignore them. But give the devil a yard and he will take a mile, as the saying goes. Now those unsolicited sms messages and calls from mobile operators have reached endemic proportions and something MUST be done. I have a dual-sim phone and it’s constantly reeling off with messages from both service providers, sometimes as many as 20 a day. If I was a stinking rich man I would employ someone just to delete those unwanted messages. But since I cannot afford that, I spend some precious time of my day getting the kassasiro out of my inbox. Someone tell those mobile operators that just because I subscribe to your network doesn’t give you the right to bombard me with all sorts of rubbish promos. We have silently hoped that Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) will do their jobs this once but I guess we were kind of deluded over that too. We understand that these mobile networks want to diversify their products and get more money, but we need our privacy too. So here is how we can meet each other half way. 1. AGE PROFILING: Since we were required to give our date of birth at the sim-card registration, mobile operators can determine the ages of their clients. That could help them decide which client is more likely to be interested in what product. That way they will not send someone of my age a message to “prank your friend’s girlfriend by changing your voice to speak like blah blah…” Send it to teenagers. They might find it a nuisance too, but they will not be as insulted by it as I am. 2. GAUGE INTEREST THROUGH RESPONSE: May be there are some people who want to win millions by sending a random sms, but I am not one of them. My phone is a tool of communication not a lottery ticket. If the operator sends an enticing message reading like: “This is your lucky day. Your number has been selected to win……” If the message is sent to the same number five times and there is no response, surely that should be interpreted as total disinterest in your lottery service. So that number should be left in peace. The owner is not interested. If you ask a girl out to a date five times and she is not forthcoming, surely that must be decoded as a lack of interest. Doesn’t common sense then dictate that you give her space? The sixth attempt would qualify you to be a stalker, wouldn’t it? But these mobile companies keep on hounding us even after 20 ignored messages. Stalkers!!! 3. WATCH THE TIME: Please do not send those messages after nightfall. They can cause serious trust issues in many relationships. The other day I received one such message at 12:30am. Seriously?? 4. KEEP OUT THE CALLS, PLEASE: An sms can be put off to a convenient time. But when my phone rings it calls for my attention. It is telling me that I should stop what I am doing and answer it. Imagine my chagrin when I am encountered with a recorded voice telling me about a promo I am the least bit interested in. The old man with a hat might have gotten away with it during the 2011 campaign, but it was excused because it was brief (for that period only). Mobile companies mustn’t invade our privacy with such calls. If these telephone companies don’t change……. #josephkabuletaword
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 11:55:57 +0000
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